Shell-fuse.



J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 22. 1911.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR Ja/mM Many BY WITNESS ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. I917.

1,250,410. Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2. E 2

WITNESS INVENTOR ATTORNEYS WITNESS I. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. I9I7I Patented D00. 18, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ym/2M gall/g ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1917.

Patented Dec. 18,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR ei/212M141 WITNESS ATTORNEYS J. M. YOUNG.

SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1911.

1,250,410. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESS @mfl f/fw JJknM ma INVENTOR ATTORNEYS JOHN M. YOUNG, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

SHELL-FUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 191 '7.

Application filed March 22, 1917. Serial No. 156,631.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I,-JOHN M. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shell- Fuses, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fuses for explosive shellsforordnance, and has for its object to provide a cheap and practical meansfor protecting or preventing the percussion elements from beingdistorted, broken or separated when the fuse and shell strike the groundor any other hard object, so as to insure that the percussion elementsshall operate with their proper functions and explode the shell.Government specifications for fuses at the present time allow apercentage of failures of the percussion elements to explode the shell.

By my invention such percentage may be done away with or greatlylessened.

The design of the body portion of shell fuses as now made is such thatwhen the shell is fired from a gun and the fuse strikes the ground thetime train ring is ordinarily 'forced by the angle blow into the body ofthe fuse just above the percussion primer seat, and the body is therebyeither broken ofi between the two percussion elements, which causes afailure of explosion, or the percussion primer housings are so distortedthat the parts cannot function, and this also makes an explosionfailure.

According to my invention the fuse is weakened at a point above both ofthe percussion elements, so that such an angle blow, when the shellstrikes, will break the fuse at such a place as to leave the twopercussion elements intact at the rear of such break. Furthermore, I door may apply a relatively hard metal ring or wedge to the fuseimmediately at or in the weakened part of the fuse, this ring beingarranged to be acted upon by the exterior time fuse ring, so that theaction of the time fuse ring, when the shell strikes, will be to forcethe said metal ring into the fuse body or stem with a cutting anddisrupting action thereby insurin that the break shall take place infront of both of, andnot between, the two percussion elements. It willbe understood that the deepest part of the weakening of the fuse, andthe plane at which the said ring acts, will be suitably arranged on thebody ,or stem of the fuse to produce the above described result.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood I have shown inthe accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect, without limiting my improvements, in their useful applications,to the particular construction which, for the purpose of example, I havechosen for illustration. In the said drawings Figure 1 is a verticalsectional view of a shell fuse and contiguous parts embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fuse-cutting or rupturing ring or wedge,shown as made in two sections.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a vertical section of the fuse body detached, showing the saidring in place thereon in the weakened portion of the fuse.

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly broken away, showing the fuse at themoment of impact, and ruptured at the said weakened place, leaving thepercussion elements intact.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 1, but showing an ordinary form ofshell, not embodying my invention.

Fig. 7 shows the manner of breaking, which frequently occurs, in thecase of the ordinary form of shell shown in Fig. 6, whereby thepercussion elements are disorganized and rendered inoperative.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the fuse, 2 the stemor socket of the same, 3 the percussion firing pin and 4 the detonatingpercussion element.

At 5 and 6 are shown the time fuse rings of any suitable constructionand arangement. 7 indicates the concussion firing pin and 8 thedetonating concussion element.

At a suitable point above or beyond the percussion elements 3 and 4 thefuse is weakened as indicated at 9 so that a glancing blow such as willcause a rupture or distorting of the fuse will produce a transversebreakage 10 (Fig. 5) at this point, thereby relieving the strain whichwould cause it to be broken at any other point which would involve aseparation or disarrangement of the percussion elements 3 and 4.

. 11 is a ring of suitable material and shape to aid in producing thesaid fracture at the point or plane 9. This ring is preferably made insections as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 and formed with an inner cuttingedge 12 adapted to engage in the deepest part of the weakened portion 9.

The top plane of the ring 11 is or may be arrangedat the meeting planeof two time rings, as illustrated, whereby, according to the nature ofthe blow which the shell strikes, oneof the time rings may force thering 11 across and into the metal of the fuse, or the other time ringmay force a portion of the fuse relative to and against the ring 11.

It is preferable to have the ring sections of a harder metal than of thefuse body as they will cut deeper and easier than if of the samehardness. For instance, the fuse may be of aluminum, and the sections ofthe ring 11 may be of brass.

It is desirable to have the wedge-ring made in sections, as illustrated,in order that either section may freely cut into the fuse body whenpressure is put on the section by a blow.

The invention also has relation to the concussion and time fuse, in thatthe fuse is disrupted at such a place that the time train rings are setfree and disassembled when the shell strikes, and this prevents theenemy from finding a fuse intact and reading the setting of the timetrain rings, and knowirfigllthe distance of the gun that fired the s eIn firing shrapnel, it is necessary that the shell explode directly overthe soldiers heads in order to be effective; if they explode too far infront or at the rear, the sharpnel is ineffective: therefore, the objectof firing 40 shells that will explode when they hit the ground'is toenable the gunner to determine the range quickly and they do this byfiring at a rise of ound or some easily discerned object that hes in therange, so that the observer, through a telescope, is able to see thesmoke from the explosion and determine whether the range at which theyhave fired is short or long, so that by firing two or three shells theyare able to get the exact range. The rest of the shells fired are thenset with the time ring to explode in the air; so that the only objectfor firing in the other manner is for range finding, and it is veryimportant that the shell explode at the time it hits the ground or an obect with an angular blow.

What I claim is 1 A fuse havin its body weakened above the percussion eements by reducing its metal at that point, combined with a wedgeinserted at said weakened point between the time train ring and thebody, whereby the fuse is disrupted above the percussion elements andthe force of the blow is minimized on the housings of the percussionelements.

2. A fuse havingits body weakened above the percussion primer seat byreducing its metal at that pomt, combined with a separate metal elementinserted into said reduced part between the time train ring and thebody, thereby insuring the rupture of the fuse above the percussionprimer seat, and reducing the force of the blow on the percussion partshousings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature hereto.

JOHN M. YOUNG.

